Sensing devices equipped with sensory detectors such as touch screens have become increasingly popular for a wide variety of applications relying upon sensory apps. For example, certain touch screens basically rely upon a transparent nonconductive support member, such as glass or a break resistant plastic screen, coated with a conductive sensory material adapted to detect a screen touch location representative of a desired command signal and then electronically transmit the command signal to a data processing center (often referred to as a master control center) in communication with the internet, which in the case of a smart phone device, causes the touch screen device to electronically provide a responsive message (e.g. exhibit a voice and/or visual data retrieval) corresponding to the request by the initiating command signal. The conductive coating sensory materials coated upon the transparent screen will depend primarily upon the particular type of sensory signaling to be detected by the device. Illustrative sensory devices include touch screen sensory systems equipped with a resistive touch screen panel, a surface acoustic wave panel sensing device activated by acoustic commands such as a voice, a capacitive touch screen panel, a surface capacitance panel, a projected capacitive touch screen panel, a mutual capacitance panel, a self-capacitive panel, an infrared grid panel, an infrared acrylic projection panel, an optical imaging panel, a piezometrical panel, an acoustic pulse recognition panel, etc., all of which basically involve a conductive coating or laminar capable of electronically transmitting a sensed signal to a data processing center which then electronically responds to the transmitted signal by an intelligible responsive message, such as an audio response, a visual screen located below the touch screen, etc.
Technologically representative of such sensory devices are portable touch screen devices, such as those commonly used in digital audio players, smart phones, tablet computers, etc., which typically rely upon a capacitive sensing touch screen and/or audio sensors as the inputting sensory source. A capacitive sensing unit typically relies upon conductive coupling to measure anything that is conductive or that has a dielectric constant different from air, such as an acoustical wave, a gaseous change, a touch, lighting, etc. The sensing capacitive sensors may be constructed of a number of conductive materials such as copper, indium tin oxide (ITO), printed conductive inks, etc., which are typically applied as a thin coating or laminar onto a non-conductive material, such as the commonly used transparent glass-faced touch screen panels, the transparent non-conductive plastic screen panels, etc.
Irrespective of the particular type of sensory detecting coatings used in an electronic sensory unit, certain nonconductive transparent materials, such as glass panels, are often used in the construction of such sensory units. Unfortunately, such electronic conductive glass panels are fragile and are prone to breakage, which in turn, renders the electronic circuitry highly susceptible to damage by an impacting blow. A common practice for protecting fragile electronic sensory components (such as touch screens and the electronic hardware associated therewith) involves covering the touch screen with a transparent and sensory conductive screen protector, which in essence, provides nominal, if any, ability to absorb shock forces or protect a fragile screen. The most common touch screen protective practice involves placing a transparent protective polymeric material conductive of a sensed signal, such as a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film over the glass panel. Most commonly, such screen protectors possess sufficient sensory sensitivity so as to not interfere with a sensed touch transmission or sensory conductance onto the sensing member, such as a capacitive sensor. Unfortunately, such touch screen protectors inherently fail to adequately protect a fragile glass-based touch screen panel against impact glass damage, as well as any meaningful protection to the internal electronic workings of the sensory device. Moreover, such protective film coverings are much more prone than the covered glass or acrylics to be damaged by marring, scratching, cutting, shredding and other mutilating factors which damage their aesthetic appeal, as well as the visual functionality as a touch screen protector.
Recognizing the inability to effectively overcome impact inflicted damage to portable sensory devices, it has become common practice to provide protective shock absorbing cases to house the sensory device. The principle thrust in protecting glass-paneled touch screen devices thus relies primarily upon an auxiliary encasement which provides only partial impact resistance to the touch screen glass panels, which must necessarily remain visually open and potentially exposed to impact damage. As a result, any externally applied forces (e.g. bending, impacting, etc.) can readily result in fracturing or breakage of the glass screen panels, as well as irreparable damage to the internal electronic hardware of the touch screen device. Synthetic foamed protectors have also been sparingly used internally within such sensory devices, but they are limited in shock absorbency efficacy, and they are limited in their protective placement within sensory devices, especially involving any placement which would impair screen visibility.
There exists a need for sensory device protectors possessing a greater degree of versatility and efficacy in protecting damageable sensory device components, such as those used in portable touch screen devices and the associated electronic hardware thereof, from impact damage.
The sensory device protectors as provided by this invention may be used in combination with conventional sensory touch screen protectors or may be chemically bonded to the sensory components during the sensory device manufacture. Such manufacture eliminates the need for any add-on protective sensory coverings or other protective means, such as an auxiliary protective encasement. The present invention allows a sensory device impact protector to be directly integrated into a sensory device construction as a protective component having superb impact force-arresting properties by the sensory device manufacturer. It has been discovered that a unique thermoset viscoelastomeric protector will provide an unexpectedly superior protective efficacy when placed in a shock protective relationship with any impact-fragile component of a sensory device, such as in a touch screen device. Due to the unique efficacy of certain thermoset viscoelastomeric polymeric protectors in protecting sensory devices, such as touch screen device components, it has been observed for example that impact breakable touch screen panels, when protected by an interfacing coating, laminar, covering, film, etc. of a viscoelastomeric protector, the protected panels will exhibit unexpectedly superior resistance against impact fracturing or breakage. Equally surprising is the fact that the thermoset viscoelastomeric protector contributes superior protection not only to the transparent touch screen panels, but also to other internally disposed impact-damageable electronic circuitry components of the sensory device. The unique protector affords a manufacturer an ability to incorporate a highly effective sensory device protector into the sensory device at a low cost. The viscoelastomeric protector, as provided by this invention, has a clarity unlike other conventional rubber foams, and therefore uniquely does not interfere with the visual aspects of the visual modules, even when placed in direct visual alignment with an imaging module of the sensing device. The protector of this invention also serves as a heat sump, which effectively dissipates heat, to further protect the sensory device from thermal damage.
There exists a long existing need for an impact-resistant protective barrier readily compatible with the manufacture of electronic sensory devices equipped with damageable electronic hardware and/or fragile sensory screen panels. There also exists a decided manufacturing advantage if the impact damage protector could be directly incorporated and bonded to a sensory panel and/or the electronic damageable hardware at the manufacturing site. It would also be further advantageous if a screen protector could be incorporated in a manner so that it becomes physically or chemically bonded to the electronic hardware components of the sensing device, such as a touch screen panel.
Similar to its application in other sensory devices, a portable touch screen device typically relies upon the commonly used capacitive sensing touch screen of two oppositely positioned glass panels, or other suitable transparent panel substrate, coated with an electronically conductive material (e.g. copper, ITO, printed conductive circuitry, etc.) spaced effectively apart (e.g. in a grid form) to detect a sensory signal (e.g. finger touch, acoustic vibration, etc.) when applied to an exposed exterior sensing panel or sensing membrane surface. The capacitive discharge between the appositively capacitive conductors of the sensing unit typically results in an arcing and flow of electrons through an electronic grid pattern within the capacitive conductor's construction that identifies a touched site, which in turn can be specifically electronically located and interpreted or correlated to a specific command for the sensory device to then undertake. Since, in certain touch screen devices, the oppositely positioned glass panels are highly susceptible to breakage, the positioning of the thermoset polymeric protector in a protective position serves to effectively absorb such normally glass damaging forces (e.g. impact such as striking the glass with a solid object, a jolting force, etc.) and thereby effectively protects the fragile touch screen panel of the touch sensing unit from impact damage.
The aforementioned benefits and many other inherent benefits are accomplished by the protective placement (physically or chemically) of a unique viscoelastomeric thermoset protective polymeric material to either a fragile transparent component (e.g. glass of the touch screen device) or any other impact damageable component within any sensory device, such as amongst the electronic hardware positioned beneath a transparent touch screen panel of the sensory device. The thermoset viscoelastomeric polymeric protector possess a high degree of sensing compatibility with touch screen panel functionality, while also significantly imparting superior impact and damage resistance to the electronic hardware.